Unbeaten Barcelona Humbled 4-1 by Inspired Sevilla
Spanish champions, FC Barcelona suffered a stunning and comprehensive 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla on Sunday, marking their first loss of the La Liga campaign and surrendering the top spot in the league table.
The Catalan giants were dismantled at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in a performance coach Hansi Flick later admitted was lacking in “intensity and quality,” with the reigning champions now trailing bitter rivals Real Madrid by two points after their Saturday victory over Villarreal. Sevilla, meanwhile, climbed provisionally to fourth place with the monumental win.
The rout was initiated by a familiar face, as veteran Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez converted an early penalty against his former club. The hosts doubled their advantage through Isaac Romero, who redeemed himself after earlier spurning a pair of excellent opportunities.
Barcelona briefly found a lifeline right before the half-time whistle when Marcus Rashford expertly volleyed home a cross from Pedri González. However, the hopes for a second-half comeback were emphatically crushed by a crucial miss from their star striker.
Midway through the second half, the visitors were awarded a golden opportunity to draw level when substitute Adnan Januzaj fouled Alejandro Balde inside the box. Yet, Robert Lewandowski uncharacteristically fired his spot-kick wide of the post, squandering what would be Barcelona’s clearest chance to salvage a result.
Sevilla then capitalized on the Catalans’ desperation in the final minutes. Defender José Ángel Carmona drilled a low shot past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny to net the third, and Akor Adams sealed the 4-1 hammering in stoppage time, compounding the visitors’ misery.
The heavy loss comes just days after Barcelona’s narrow midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, suggesting a period of disarray for Flick’s side.
Barcelona’s defensive line appeared sluggish and uncoordinated from the start, notably when Ronald Araújo committed a clumsy foul on Isaac Romero to concede the first penalty, which Sánchez coolly dispatched by sending Szczęsny the wrong way.
Prior to his goal, the young striker Romero had been thwarted by a superb save from Szczęsny and also skewed an attempt wide. He made his third chance count, though, expertly sweeping the ball into the net from Rubén Vargas’s low cross after the Barca defence was once again exposed.
Though Rashford’s stellar volley momentarily injected hope, Flick made a double substitution at the break, bringing on Eric García and Alejandro Balde for Araújo and Gerard Martin in an attempt to restructure his team. Despite the tactical shift and a few late openings—including an effort from youngster Roony Bardghji saved by Sevilla keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos—Barcelona’s efforts proved fruitless on a chastening afternoon in Andalusia.
